How to make cheap stands for anything

I used cheap brass rod from the hardware store, plus copper wire and ordinary soft solder such as you might buy at Radio Shack. 1/16" rod is easier to work with, but flimsy; you will have to add a lot of bracing if you want it to hold a brush, as I have done. 3/32" rod is stouter, but hard to bend into decorative curlicues, and hard to solder. You can (barely) get by with a soldering iron if it has a big tip. A soldering gun is better.

To add strength to the joints, I skinned some ordinary stranded copper electrical wire, then used individual strands to lash the brass rod together before soldering, the same way you would use rope to lash sticks together. For butt joints like the one at the top of the DE stand, I used small files to get the rods to fit together nicely, the same way you might fishmouth steel tubing before welding.

I added some washers to the razor stand as "feet", to add weight & stability. I see no reason why you couldn't recycle all sorts of junk hardware, provided you can get them hot enough to solder.

Hope this gets you thinking about how much you can accomplish with few tools & little skill. All it takes is imagination. Enjoy, -Johnny

Pretty slick. I'll have to keep this in mind when I actually get around to building the stand(s) for my brushes.

Michael

Very imaginative and well done - I like them. Thanks for sharing.

I like them, great job! :rock:

The ingenuity I see at SRP from many of our members is one of a kind. You guys never cease to amaze me. :tu

What I lack in skill, I make up in ingenuity ;)

Very fun! They look like they are people in contorted shapes. You could add heads to further the illusion. Could even make them into animal shapes, just for fun. Anymore with this type of stuff I always figure that when I make it just for me I can shape things however I want. If you wanted to make things easier regarding wire size you could use different size wires for different areas. Such as heavier in support areas while still using thinner in the decorative areas.
I also think they would look good with silver solder rather than lead. They would take a better shine. And since you have the torch out for that you could use the heat to anneal the wire for better bending.

-G

Nice. To my eye they have just a hint of steampunk to them. I dig.

Nice work,
I like the attitude of achieving a lot with a little.

Hello, Johnny J:

Your talent in making these stands is inspiring. This is excellent work, my good man. If I may suggest, make a series of these stands for various elements of the wet shaving world and offer them for sale in the Classified. Well done, sir.

Regards,

Obie

High praise indeed. I hadn't thought of trying to sell them. When you look at Icedog's amazing & beautiful work & how even he has to reduce prices to sell his stuff in these economic times, I don't think my junk collages stand much of a chance. But who knows, maybe when the weather turns crappy... I had an idea to make a stand that looks like two little guys carrying the razor on their shoulders. That would look pretty cool I bet.

Johnny

Great work, Lee Valley sells a jig with adjustable pins for bending thin tubing, wires and rods for just a couple of bucks.

How about using some pennies or other coins in place of washer for feet? They won’t rust and will take a polish.

I saw a guy make some drawer pull from Buffalo Head Nickels. He domed and braised them to a tapped brass shank to accept a screw. Looked great.

Very ingenious.

Thanks

Marty

Very nice, they remind me of the figures made out of nuts and bolts.